Congratulations to the Lone Star College-Montgomery Class of 2017 who will be recognized for their achievements at a commencement ceremony Friday, May 12, at 6 p.m., at The Woodlands Church-Fellowship Campus.

LSC-Montgomery is awarding more than 1,200 associate degrees or certificates this year and approximately 400 students are expected to attend the commencement ceremony.

Graduates at the ceremony will hear from Michelle Riley-Brown, President Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands and Cynthia Alvarez, a class of 2017 graduate.

Michelle Riley-Brown is Executive Vice President at Texas Children’s Hospital and President of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. In her dual leadership role, Riley-Brown leads Texas Children’s community hospitals, primary care practices and the sub-specialty Health Centers in the community. 

She is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, where she attended Tulane University for her undergraduate degree and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, for her master’s degree in Healthcare Administration.

Following a short tenure in the insurance industry, Riley-Brown joined Texas Children’s Hospital  in 1999 as an Administrative Fellow and has held various leadership roles within the organization ever since. She led the planning and development of Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, Texas Children’s first community hospital which opened in 2010, and most recently led the planning efforts for Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, which opened in April.

Riley-Brown is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and received the prestigious Young Healthcare Executive Award from the Southeast Texas Chapter of ACHE in 2009. She served as the 2014 President/Chair of the ACHE Southeast Texas Chapter. She also serves on various boards and committees in the Houston and Woodlands communities. She is married to her loving husband James E. Brown and is the proud mother of her 7-year-old daughter Sarah Elizabeth. Riley-Brown enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Graduate Cynthia Alvarez is from Quito, Ecuador. She moved with her family to Houston in 2007. Alvarez started at LSC-Montgomery in the summer of 2015. She is the youngest of three siblings and is a first generation college student. On campus, she was involved in Sigma Kappa Delta an English honor society and was the Vice President of Leadership for Phi Theta Kappa honor society for two-year college students.

“Adjusting to a new language and culture was difficult, but I am thankful for my family, friends, Phi Theta Kappa advisors, and professors at LSC-Montgomery, they became my mentors and made my college experience easier,” said Alvarez.

Alvarez will continue her studies at the University of Houston, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. Her goal is to receive a master’s degree in accounting and become a certified public accountant. “I had great professors at LSC-Montgomery who strengthened and enriched my passion for accounting,” Alvarez said.

Dr. Rebecca Riley, LSC-Montgomery president, will preside over the commencement ceremony.

The Woodlands Church-Fellowship Campus is located at One Fellowship Drive in The Woodlands, approximately one mile west of the LSC-Montgomery campus.

For more information about the commencement ceremony, please visit www.LoneStar.edu/graduation-Montgomery.

Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 98,000 students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of $3.1 billion. LSC consists of six colleges, eight centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.